Publication Date

5-2024

School

Helms School of Government; School of Business

Major

Government: International Studies

Keywords

China, Economic Warfare, Grand Strategy, Great Power Competition, 4th Generation Warfare

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Defense and Security Studies | Economic Policy | Economic Theory | Finance | International Economics | International Relations | Peace and Conflict Studies | Political Economy | Political Theory | Public Affairs

Abstract

In the 2023 annual meeting of China’s parliament, Chinese President Xi made it clear to his political leaders and the world that he was preparing for war. This should come as no surprise after analysis of China's grand strategy points clearly to the intent to surpass the U.S. as the premier global superpower in all respects. China has been building towards this goal for years through untraditional methods of warfare, forcing the national security community to reevaluate its own strategy and assess the Chinese threat through a different lens. This thesis seeks to address one specific area in which China has been successfully undermining U.S. interests through an untraditional yet effective method, economic warfare. With a 2022 GDP of 18.1 trillion dollars and the figure rising year upon year, China’s mammoth economy can no longer be pushed under the political rug by U.S. decision-makers and this paper evaluates the current and future implications of this reality and provides considerations for a path forward that emphasizes the need for responses rooted in a deep understanding of the enemy that protects U.S. interests from the immediate threat and potential conflicts to come.

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